Save $500: Heybike’s Ranger 3.0 Pro is currently $1,499, a 25% discount to encourage early adopters to upgrade. This folding ebike is now priced lower than most of its competitors without sacrificing performance or road safety.
Commuter ebikes are, in my opinion, the weirdest category of bikes out there. In a world where many avid cyclists devote hours and hours to shaving as much weight from their kit as possible, ebikes are on their own. They are heavy, often promote a seating position that feels boring on other bikes and come with features intended to make you stand out as much as possible from the other vehicles you share the road with.
Of the many brands in this space, Heybike’s Ranger series is a reliable range-oriented option with few compromises. Its latest bike, the Ranger 3.0 Pro, is a bike meant to slowly replace your car. And with few exceptions, it has done that very well for me.
Out of the box, Heybike’s Ranger 3.0 Pro is a beast. Weighing in at 75 pounds, it’s significantly heavier than before. It makes folding the bike up and storing it more challenging than the Ranger S, especially if you’re a smaller rider. One of the main reasons for the weight increase is the increase in power, which is powered by a removable 720Wh battery, a more powerful 750-watt rear hub motor and an eight-speed derailleur system. The biggest thing you get in return is a 440-pound curb weight, a 40-pound increase over previous versions.
A larger battery and a more efficient motor means this bike can go for hours before needing to be recharged. Heybike claims this bike can go 90 miles on a single charge, but during my test, it started to drop around 81 miles. Considering all the hills in our area, it’s a solid range. That’s more than most people will ride in most days. In fact, I rode this for four days of basic local travel and still had 20 percent of my battery left.
Integrated turn signals are a key feature of road-ready ebikes.
The Heybike gets high marks for distance, but speed is another matter. Like most bikes in the US, it’s artificially limited to 28mph, but you’re in no danger of reaching that speed any time soon. Whether you’re relying on half-throttle on the handlebars to get through a busy intersection or power assist as you pedal, you won’t feel that forward meltdown of many more aggressive motors. It’s a slow start, building up to the speed you want. Some people prefer that sudden burst of speed after stopping, but you won’t get that here.
What you will get is a healthy focus on security. In addition to its fat tires — its 20-inch wheels are each 4 inches across — your upright riding position makes you easy to see even when you’re in a lifted truck. The integrated front light is bright and easy to point where you need it most, and has an integrated turn signal visible from the rear lights, which illuminate when you apply the brakes.
You can control most of the bike’s settings with your left thumb, with your right hand controlling the throttle.
The light controls, as well as the high-end horn, sit next to the new TFT color display, designed to be easier to read in direct sunlight than those with LCD displays. You can also use your phone to unlock the bike now, which is much faster than the previous PIN-code unlocking system. The app also provides good maintenance instructions and allows you to track the bike if it gets lost.
The whole point of this bike is that you can ride freely wherever you want to go. Whether you’re navigating rough traffic or cruising the beach trail, your ride will feel very similar. You can get to work and back without breaking a sweat. You can ride to a restaurant to hang out with friends and have a nice ride home. The included back rack allows you to add any storage you like, meaning you can add a basket or side panniers and almost never have to worry about how much you’re carrying.
Attach any accessories you want to the back, just don’t cover the brake lights and blinkers.
Heybike provided their front and rear baskets so we could test the full towing capacity of the Ranger 3.0 Pro, but I don’t know if I can recommend this bike. The Heybike accessories are undeniably sturdy, and allowed me to haul four large grocery bags and ride smooth enough that the eggs were still whole when I got home. However, metal bars do not come with any padding either packs like its rival Velotricand including any basket makes the folding feature of this bike very difficult. Personally, a pair of Coolcave panniers from Fjallraven and a collapsible basket from Citizen works best with the type of commute I tested.
Ultimately, the Ranger 3.0 Pro is what it says on the box. It’s a great bike designed to help you feel safe as you ride everywhere, but if you live up one or more flights of stairs or think you might struggle to lift 75 pounds into a car, this might not be the bike for you. Above all, it’s encouraging to see more manufacturers focusing on range.